Prime Thyme has been a bit elusive to me over the years. It has moved locations several times around towns in both Mon and Preston counties - from Dellslow and Reedsville to Kingwood and now Masontown. But, I was able to catch them while in Kingwood, finally.



It's a very rustic, homestyle restaurant with standard restaurant tables & chairs in a big open space. Lots of wood, ceiling fans and traditional menu options.



Burgers, sandwiches, chicken, seafood, pork chops, pasta and everything in between are on the menu.



Portions are hefty, and for my pasta dish, I got at least another two or three servings from it. Prices are more than reasonable, and the flavors will remind you of home cooking.



I ordered the shrimp bella vista, which includes tomato, onion, garlic, and olive oil. It is a bit of a lighter pasta dish because it doesn't have that heavier red sauce, but there is enough to feed a small family.



Would I have liked the pasta to be more al dente? Yes. But, it is still simple, comforting, and tastes good. Even if not wildly creativd or different.



Grade: B

The Preston County Inn consistently wins local food contests for their emphasis on local ingredients. But, I've had trouble catching them when they were open. But that all ends today.

We'd stopped at the Preston County Inn around Halloween, so we got to see it in its full spooky glory. It has a bit of history:

The Inn was constructed in the Civil War era by James A. Brown, an attorney and a graduate of West Virginia University. He fell in love with a beautiful girl named Isabel who was from Baltimore. They were married and the house was given to Isabel as a wedding gift from her loving husband.

However, they lived in the house for only one year. Isabel contracted smallpox and soon died. James Brown became a Victorian mourner and would not allow anything belonging to his lovely wife to be touched. Nothing was to be changed or moved. Even her sewing remained as she left it, needle in cloth and thimble nearby. 

Highlighting the exterior decoration of the house was the roof; in large letters of light colored slate was the word "home." Through the years and change of owners, this was either removed or covered with new roofing. Much of the front part of the home has been restored to its original nature. There are a total of seven fireplaces in The Inn, three downstairs and four upstairs. The hearths and mantels have been refinished and restored to their original condition. Guest sleeping rooms were added in 1948 as a new addition to the inn. Also included in this large addition were the large kitchen and dining room.

We'd parked behind the inn and began walking around toward the front when I saw a sign on the side of the building that said to enter this way for the restaurant, which is named "Maxime's at The Inn." So, we walked in and awkwardly around the kitchen and down the main hallway. There was no one to greet us, so we walked around and stood awkwardly in the middle for about five ~long~ minutes until I found a server and asked if we could be seated.

Finally seated, I took a look around. Lots of red glowing Halloween decorations, but also lots of classic art and draperies. It has a bit of charm to it, but it could also use a nice deep-cleaning.

The first thing I noticed is that they had a salad bar. You don't see that often at local restaurants. So, I knew that was in my future. While there were many options on the salad bar - including macaroni salads, seafood salads, etc. - they weren't exactly fresh. In fact, the tomatoes had mold all over them, which cast a shadow of doubt on the quality of the rest of the food.

I tried, but I couldn't mentally get over it. I nibbled on things and they were fine, but ultimately set it aside and hoped the entree would prove better.

The menu has a little bit of everything, but I felt like I needed to go the homestyle route. I ordered the meatloaf and mashed potatoes, which came with a thick brown gravy overtop. I can't say this is my favorite iteration of the meal - I prefer a tomato sauce.  This meal was just fine - everything needed a little bit of work. The corn was chewy, the mashed potatoes were very thick and stiff. The meatloaf was dry, and that gravy didn't help. Was it bad? No, it was fine, but would I order this again? No.

I hope there are far better options on the menu, and I totally dig their use of local ingredients when they're competing, but it didn't shine for me this time. I also appreciated how the owner had the chef whip up a simple stir-fry upon learning my friend was gluten-free (but I also suspect he was just wanting to use up the salad bar).

It's also likely I could've chosen poorly. I'm known to do that. What have you had there that you like? What's the best thing on the menu?

Also, of note is the Norma Jean Bar -- lots of Marilyn Monroe happening. Lots of cool little tidbits in this place, but not a total home run for me.

So, I recently went to Preston County to check out the zoo -- that's right, West Virginia has a zoo. And while in the area, Brittany and I decided to head into downtown Kingwood to grab a bite at the Brew Ha Ha.

Side note: It also happened to be the same day that the stores were doing a sort of trick-or-treat, so we got to see lots of kids dressed up as superheroes or princesses as we enjoyed our meal. Super cute.

This cafe is cozy and bright with a good bit of seating and some tasty drink and food options. The menu options encompass a little bit of everything - from egg rolls and chips & salsa to a pancake platter and grilled cheese sandwiches.



So, I got their "Ultimate" Grilled Cheese, which is muenster cheese and garlic aioli piled with crispy bacon and French-fried onions on thick slices of grilled toast.

For a drink, I went with a "brewlatte," which is frozen and blended fresh brewed coffee. I added a salted caramel flavor shot.


We'd only waited for a just a little bit -- taking in the cool vibe and bustling environment -- before our meals came out.

Let's start with the drink - if you want to feel like you're drinking a milkshake that gives you some extra energy, this is it. Simple, but good.


So, my grilled cheese, with a side of pasta salad, was pretty good! It was pretty dense and savory. I think just a touch of something sweet -- like honey fried onions or something would help break that up. But, still, very tasty.

Between good snacks and drinks and wonderful service, this is a great little place.

They even partner with the local brewing company, Screech Owl Brewing for some fun merchandise.

Have you ever been? What's your favorite thing?





Grade: A

For my Mexican food-loving friends, Carmona's was king in Morgantown. When it closed last year, friends mourned the loss. However, hope came a month later when the owner announced they would open a location in Kingwood in Preston County.

The owner had said the commute from Reedsville (her home) to Morgantown became too much, so a new location in Kingwood made sense. My friend, Lisa, who headed up the Morgantown Farmers Market, first heard about the restaurant when the owner was searching for a place to buy pinto beans. And the owner does, in fact, buy pinto beans from a local farm business to make her homemade refried beans.

In less-than-ideal weather conditions, Lisa and I traveled the 45 minutes or so all the way to Kingwood through winding roads just to eat at Rosemary's Thyme. Parking is a bit strange here; we ended up parking out on the street and walking into the restaurant.

The interior is sweet, with lots of little trinkets decorating the walls. Little piggies denote the table numbers. Lots of flavor. It was surprisingly busy - throughout the evening - for a random Tuesday night. Especially considering the weather. But that was a good sign; clearly people like this place.

Our waitress was very fun and lively. Though as the place got busier, she made fewer and fewer visits. I could've gone for some more drink refills, but I believe she was the only waitress working. So, I understand.

I ordered the burrito chente, which is a soft flour tortilla filled with your favorite meat, rice, beans, cheese dip, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole.

The meats you can choose from are chipotle chicken, camarones raquel, carnitas, pollo desmenuzado, carne molida, pollo asado or grilled veggies.

I have it on good authority that the chipotle chicken burrito is the way to go (ahem Sean, Tony). So, I put in my order for that.

After a little wait, our chips and salsa AND main meals came out at the same time.

The chips and salsa were pretty typical. Chips were homemade, crisp, salty. Salsa was thin, but flavorful. Considering they came out at the same time as this massive burrito, the chips weren't the focus of my meal.

My burrito was stuffed with the homemade refried beans, rice and chipotle chicken, which was a light cream sauce with a bit of spice. Guac, sour cream and lettuce were served on the side. I liked my burrito. It was thick and full of meat, rice and beans. It had a nice combination of textures and flavors. I liked the chipotle chicken - super tender, just a little bit of spice with a nice sauce. I kept scooping up forkfuls of lettuce and sour cream with each bite of my burrito.

Mexican flavors tend to be spicier or not quite as vibrant for me. So, of course, we went for dessert. Fried ice cream, anyone?

It was a really interesting flavor - not just typical ice cream. There was a prominent honey flavor. That is, once you dig below the mound of whipped cream to get to it. It was surrounded by a cinnamon tortilla. But the ice cream itself had like flakes it in it. Pretty cool.

So, I'm actually kind of scared to grade this place for fear my "friends" will retaliate and create their own rival food blogs or simply berate me on Twitter. Either way, I did enjoy my meal. My burrito was good, the dessert was good. Was it more than that for me? Meh. I don't fault the restaurant as much as I fault myself and my tastebuds for this cuisine just not rocking my socks. However, it's definitely one of the better burritos I've had.

Rosemary's Thyme is located at 121 East High St. in Kingwood. It is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. It's closed Monday.

Grade: B

I went to the Preston County Buckwheat Festival for the first time this year. I just had to try the buckwheat cakes. Everyone told me "don't expect pancakes!" and I didn't. I expected something awful, but I was pleasantly surprised.

First of all, I really have no idea what I'm doing 90 percent of the time when I'm navigating, but Kingwood wasn't too difficult to find. I got on the Kingwood Pike and just drove straight for a while. That was helpful.

But I had no idea what I was in for. I thought I could just find a nice little parking spot somewhere about a half hour before the parade starts. Uh, no. Every single square inch was taken up. Then I started getting trapped when roads started closing for the parade. Some lovely man saw my desperation and allowed me to park near his garage. For free. And it was super close.

We watched some of the parade and headed off the hall for our buckwheat cakes. It was an adventure to swim through a sea of people waiting for their high school band to come through the parade. We were careful.

After I paid my $9 at the window, I walked inside to the window. A slew of workers prepped my plate of two buckwheat cakes and two sausage patties. I picked up a small carton of milk before finding a seat at the communal tables. Between the butter and syrup, these tasted just fine. They were pretty thin, and to be honest, I really liked them. Some find them more sour - but when they're drenched in syrup, I don't think it matters. I'm a fan. The sausage was pretty dark in areas, but still good.

There are barns full of pigs, sheep, goats, crafts, and produce and other items the local 4H kids grew. Giant pumpkins, cabbages, and whole displays of vegetables, plus a photo contest and flowers! It's pretty neat. Plus tons of rides and games - all of which is lit up at night. Just beautiful.

On our way out, I got a corndog from Frank's. Top notch.

A friend saw Monroe's Deli-Style Eatery while driving through Preston County and was determined to check it out. We ventured out that way until we reached the large, red barn-like building reading "Monroe's steaks, pasta, seafood." I'm not sure exactly what they mean by deli-style eatery, because we just came in, chose a seat, and soon enough, a server handed us a couple menus.

It looked as though it was set up to be a house at one point, but our server assured us it wasn't. There were a ton of dining-room, country-style tables all across the open dining area. They were mismatched, but it was nice in a way. Homey. Lots of little crafty decorations.


They have specials on the wall when you walk in. The menu had sandwiches, pastas and dinners. They had an option to split two dinner meals, so I went with that: the fried fish and crabcake. It came with THREE sides, of which there are a ton of options. But I ultimately went with mashed potatoes and gravy, soup, and broccoli. There are a good bit of options here, but they're all fairly similar. But everything seems homemade, for the most part.

When my dish came out, it was actually kind of smaller than I expected. I paid more to split the two dinners, but I guess I was just paying for the variety. It was more like two half sizes of each dinner. But that was okay. Both things that I had were pretty tasty. The fish was good - fried and greasy. The crabcake wasn't bad either. Though I wish I would have been served with some remoulade. Both were pretty good, homestyle meals. My mashed potatoes were totally killer. Definitely homemade. So tasty. And the soup was homemade chicken noodle - also fantastic. Broccoli was okay - not seasoned much.

But my favorite part was when they brought a dessert tray out. So many cheesecakes, cakes, pies. Gah. There wasn't even another option for me after she said turtle Cheesecake. And I'm not even sure I remember eating it because it was pure euphoria. Caramel, chocolately crust, creamy cheesecake. Heaven. This would have earned them an A, for sure.

... Then I went to Jersey's a day or two later (which I'll be blogging about) and saw they had the exact. same. cheesecake. for sale. My heart broke a little. Not homemade? Total bummer. But, it does taste entirely amazing, regardless.

Grade: B